Talking with TBone
by NubbsyBell
Summary: Tohru makes an online friend through a class assignment, but Yuki isn't too thrilled about it. Who is this mystery guy anyway? A yukiru in three chapters Complete!
1. Chapter 1: Talking with TBone

"Oh, My"! Tohru exclaimed from the other room, and then burst into a bevy of giggles. "What the hell is so damn funny?", Kyo asked the other two males of the house who were also in the kitchen. He gestured towards the source of the giggling- Shigure's study. "Honda-san must be on the computer again", Yuki answered; trying to sound unruffled even though he was simmering under his cool exterior. Shigure, of course, sensed Yuki's frustration, and couldn't resist playing with him. "Yes, Tohru-kun does spend a lot of time on the chat line these days. It seems her interest goes beyond a simple class assignment, doesn't it?" He smirked and Yuki shot him a death glare. "But then, why not?", he continued not taking the hint. "A beautiful young lady like her is bound to attract…" "Are you through yet"? Yuki interrupted Shigure. He knew the dog just loved to hear himself talk, but Yuki was in no mood to put up with his antics. "Now Yuki", Shigure pressed his luck even further, "there's no need to be jealous. If you want Tohru-kun's attention maybe you should IM her. While you're at it, tell her it's time to get dinner. I'm starving", Shigure whined and clutched his stomach dramatically. Yuki was about to wipe the floor with him when Tohru emerged from the study. "Oh, I'm so sorry Shigure! I lost track of the time"! She made a beeline for the sink where the ingredients for dinner were already laid out. "No need to fret Tohru-kun", Shigure soothed, "Your meals are worth waiting for. Besides, every good little housewife deserves a break now and then". As he said this, Shigure stole his arm around Tohru's waist and leaned into her. "She's not your wife!", Yuki and Kyo yelled in unison. They each grabbed hold of one of Shigure's arms and dragged him out of the kitchen. "Farewell my love!", he called after Tohru. "Call me as soon as dinner is ready" and he blew her a kiss as the boys deposited him unceremoniously into his study. "What a moron", Kyo said in disgust. He went to the living room and turned on the TV. Tohru, who was used to Shigure's overtures by now, was unfazed by the incident, and had started the dinner preparations without skipping a beat. "Can I help you Miss Honda?", Yuki offered. He wanted an excuse to be near her. It was the highlight of his day to spend what time he could with Tohru, but he was also hoping for an opening where he could ask about her online conversation. He had to know…. "Yes, Yuki, thank you" she said with genuine gratitude. "Could you set the table please?" Tohru said this over the rhythm of chopping vegetables. The oil in the wok hissed as the fresh vegetables hit the pan. A pungent, spicy scent followed Yuki to the dining room where he began placing the rice bowls and chop sticks on the table. "I have to know if she was chatting with him again" Yuki thought angrily. He returned to the kitchen for some napkins. "So, uh, you're enjoying your class assignment?" Yuki asked her, trying to seem casual. "Hm? Oh yes! Well, actually the assignment is over now as of yesterday" Tohru smiled, "but I guess I'm still enjoying using the computer. Thank you so much for teaching me, Yuki". She smiled at him, and then turned back to her work. "No problem" Yuki lied through clenched teeth. The assignment was over? "It was him. It had to be him" he thought. "How could I have been so stupid? I didn't even see this coming" he seethed, and then stopped himself for the hundredth time. He had to stop being so possessive. Tohru was, after all, her own person, and she had the right to choose whose company she wanted to keep. "But I don't want to share her with anyone! Especially someone like…that guy!" Yuki continued to rage in his head as he took the simmering tea pot to the table.

A few weeks prior Tohru had come home from school and had made a special request of Shigure at dinner. "I wonder, may I use the computer in your office for a school assignment?" The request had seemed innocuous enough. "Of course Tohru, "What's mine is yours, darling" he flashed a sparkling smile at her. "Any time you want it, too" Shigure continued, with a suggestive undertone in his voice. Yuki and Kyo both glared at him and half rose out of their seats. "But why not use the computers at school?" Shigure continued as if he hadn't suggested anything lewd at all. "Well, I kind of have to be able to use it in the evening at certain times. You see, it's an assignment for my home economics class. We are going to exchange ideas, tips, recipes and such by using discussion boards and live chats". Tohru continued, "Our class is being paired with another class in order to get to know more students in the school. The live chats will be in the evenings, and if I stay at school for that I won't be able to cook or do my other chores for a few weeks". Shigure was quick to allow it. There was no way he would miss out on Tohru's cooking for even a single night if he could help it. "If you need any pointers on computer use, or anything else at all, just let me know" Shigure winked at her with a half smile on his leering face. He did love to tease Yuki and Kyo that way. Yuki knew that, but he still wasn't too keen on the idea of Tohru being in Shigure's study alone for long periods of time. It was also his bedroom after all, and Yuki didn't trust the dog all that much. So he had volunteered to help Tohru learn how to navigate the web, post on the discussion boards, and participate in live chats. He also made a point of being around when she worked on her assignments for the same reason, although he told himself it was in case she needed help.

It all seemed harmless enough at first- a bunch of first and second year girls sharing gossip and ideas. Tohru could probably use the recreation. But then about three days into the assignment, Tohru was found giggling and blushing at the computer. Yuki sensed something different right away and was on alert, as if he had antennae that were attuned to Tohru and her changing moods, or perhaps attuned to any male that threatened to horn in on what he considered his territory. "You seemed to really enjoy your computer time tonight" Yuki had said, hoping he didn't seem like he was fishing. Some kind of alarm had gone off in his system, and he felt just a tinge of jealousy, like a warning, swimming around in the pool of his emotions. "Oh, yes!" Tohru gushed. "I met a new student in the chat room tonight named T-Bone". "T-Bone?", Yuki thought. "What kind of name is that for a girl?" "He's very funny!" She giggled again. "HE?", Yuki wondered silently. His alarm had proved accurate after all. What was a guy doing in a home economics class? "Are there other boys in your class?" Yuki asked as calmly as he could. He tried to keep the green-eyed monster in him at bay. "Oh, no, T-Bone isn't in my class. He's in the other class we are partnered with" Tohru offered simply. "I don't think there are any other boys in the classes though" she wrinkled up her forehead as she tried to recall. "Of course" thought Yuki wryly. "Only one guy in all the classes and he has to find Tohru- just my luck". After dinner was long over, Yuki found his mind wandering back to the subject of T-Bone, the singular male home economics student. "What kind of guy calls himself T-Bone?" Yuki thought. He conjured up a mental picture of a spiky haired gangster type dressed all in black, open shirted, with lots of silver chains around his neck, and spiked bands on his wrists. "He might even have a tattoo of a skull on his arm or a rose with thorns dripping blood. Or maybe he would be conceited enough to have "T-Bone" tattooed across his hairy chest" Yuki's imagination was running wild now as he pictured of the reprobate. And what kind of guy wanted to be in a class that was all girls? "Wait a minute" Yuki came to a realization. That had to be it! T-bone was in the class because of the girls. Sure! If he could infiltrate their classes, he would have them all to himself right? What better way to prey on them. Yuki wasn't going to let this happen to Tohru. No way was she going to be swept away by some gangster guy who obviously had evil designs on her! Not if he could help it.

Kyo wasn't exactly thrilled with the whole T-Bone episode either. He hadn't really noticed at first, but had picked up the gist of what was happening through conversations between Yuki and Shigure. He did feel a little jealous as well, but unlike Yuki, he had decided that as long as Tohru never actually met up with the guy none of them had anything to worry about. Tohru was the kind of person who tended to befriend any sort of human being regardless of their idiosyncrasies. Hannajima and Uotani were prime examples of this. Because of this Kyo was sure T-Bone was probably no exception. Still, all Tohru was doing was chatting online. It was a harmless pastime at best- for now. Yuki had too vivid an imagination though, developed over long hours of sitting in pitch darkness, to just ignore the situation. He decided to find out exactly who this T-Bone character was. He told himself it was for Tohru's protection, but in the back of his mind he was plagued a little by guilt.

It was Wednesday; another busy school day was coming to a close. Yuki had turned up nothing in his search for T-Bone. He had tried accessing the school records from the student council computer, but that had availed nothing. That was when he decided T-Bone must be an alias of some sort. "Damn!" he thought. "How could I be so stupid?" "He doesn't even use his real name" Yuki surmised. This thought made his opponent seem all the more shifty to Yuki. "He must really be a criminal, maybe even a sex offender!" Yuki's imagination was running away with him again, but he managed to put a halt to it. "Get a grip, Yuki" he chided himself, and decided to work on another plan to expose his rival.


	2. Searching 4 TBone isn't a piece of cake

The next day Yuki tried a new strategy. He made excuses as student body president to walk in on every home economics class he possibly could- to the delight of all the girls. Yuki hadn't counted on causing such a stir. In every class giggling girls circled around him, begging him to sample their projects. They were working on cake decorating that day, but each class became a "feed Sohma-kun bites of cake" fest as soon as he walked in the door. Yuki actually wasn't very fond of sweets, but he also had no desire to hurt any of the girls' feelings. Between bites of cake, Yuki tried to question the girls about a boy being a member of the class. "Excuse me," Yuki began after the first swallow, "do you know anything about", "Here Yuki, try mine", a blushing girl shoved another mouthful of cake at him. "Vank woo", Yuki said swallowing again, "please tell me, is there", "Sohma-kun, try this! Mine is chocolate!" Another girl hovered over him like a mother bird feeding her baby. Yuki sighed and opened his mouth dutifully. All the girls giggled at this and the game was on. "Try this one, Yuki", one girl blushed, "and this one", and don't forget about mine." "But I made it just for you" some begged. All the while Yuki could be heard saying things like "is there a, mmmph, bwoh in this, mmmph, cwus?" Finally, Yuki escaped. Just before he thought he would burst from all the sugar-coated attention, the teacher had intervened. Yuki was feeling a little queasy now as he stepped into the hall wiping frosting off his chin. "Maybe I can make myself throw up" he thought, and turned towards the men's restroom. As Yuki approached, Haru stepped out of the bathroom. "Hey, Yuki", Haru said in his low, dry voice; "hmm, imagine meeting you here- a mystery". Haru threw his arm around Yuki's shoulders. "Why does he always have to do that?" Yuki thought, but "Hello Haru" is what he said. "You have frosting on your nose, Yuki" Haru studied him for a moment, then reached up and brushed it away with a finger tip. "You look a little green too, are you feeling alright?" Haru queried. "I'm fine Haru. The girls are making cake in Home Ec. today that's all. What are you doing out here?" "I had to take a leak" Haru said, unflustered. "Cake, huh. Sounds fun", Haru turned to go. "Gotta get to class, Yuki, see you around", Haru turned and sauntered slowly down the hallway where Yuki had come from. "That's odd", thought Yuki. "Since when has Haru been in any hurry to get to class?" He shook off the thought, and walked away in the opposite direction.

Yuki repeated the same scene in the Home Ec. classes throughout the school day with much the same results; lots of cake, no information. By the time he got home that evening he thought he was going to barf. "I don't care if I ever see another piece of cake again" he muttered to himself as he slipped off his shoes. His guilty conscience told him he deserved every bit of what he had received. He should probably stay out of Tohru's business. "Welcome home, Yuki!" Tohru chirped from the kitchen. "I have a surprise for you!" Yuki turned to see a beaming Tohru holding out a beautifully decorated cake to him. Yuki thought his face was going to turn green from the sight of it. "Do you like it?" Tohru asked proudly. "I made it for you" she beamed. "It's great", Yuki said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "I'm going to need a stomach pump" is what he was thinking, but what he said was "Thank you Honda-san, you shouldn't have".

Yuki was unable to uncover anything about the student named T-Bone for the rest of that week. He had, despite his reservations, even resorted to asking Hanna and Uo about him. It was difficult to catch the girls alone- without Tohru. They were always together it seemed. When his chance came, Yuki knew he could not hesitate, or the moment would be lost. "Miss Hannajima, Miss Uotani, um, I was wondering", "Oh, hey there prince, what brings you out to talk to us lay people?" Uo teased. "The fan girls aren't giving you enough action?" She smiled wryly at him. "What can we do for the prince?" Hanna offered in her disengaged monotone. Yuki shuddered inside. Why did it seem Hanna was always looking through him, not at him. "Well", Yuki swallowed nervously, "I was wondering, do you know anything about a home economics student called T-Bone"? Yuki tried to act casual about the question, but he sensed that Hanna wasn't going to be fooled by his charade. "T-Bone?", isn't he that guy Tohru's been chatting with online?" Uo gave Yuki a sideways look. "Well, uh, yes, but", Yuki stammered. He was caught. "Why don't you just go ask Tohru about him?" Uo countered. Then it dawned on her, "Oh, I get it!", she practically shouted, to Yuki's horror. "You're jealous!" and Uo burst into loud guffaws at the thought. Yuki's face turned bright red, but he persevered. "I'm just concerned about her. After all, we don't know anything about this guy, and Tohru is, well, very naive." All the while Yuki spoke, Hanna held him in a hypnotic stare. This added to Yuki's discomfort considerably. He glanced nervously between the two, not sure which he should be more wary of. "There is no need for undue concern, Sohma, Yuki" Hanna spoke in faraway tones which matched the look in her eye. Uo stopped laughing long enough to tune in to Hanna's wave report. Yuki felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. "This incident will be resolved soon, and all will be made clear". Then Hanna turned her gaze on him. "This turmoil you feel is unnecessary" she offered. This was said in almost a caring manner, and she gave a flicker of a knowing smile. Yuki thanked them and quickly turned to leave. He could hear Uo interrogating Hanna as he walked away. "I was right, wasn't I? He's jealous! Ha, ha! Go Tohru! You knock some sense into him! It's about time he got off his throne and did something about his feelings for her", Uo continued to make other loud, embarrassing comments. Yuki tried to shut out her voice, and hoped the other students around them would too. He was so engrossed in this effort he almost walked straight into Tohru in the hallway. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Yuki! That was close!", and she laughed nervously as she thought of what would have happened if they had collided. Yuki caught his breath, and greeted her, perhaps in a less collected manner than he hoped. He felt like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. And maybe he was, after all, wasn't he spying on her in a sense? And what if she had heard what Uo had been spouting? What if her friends informed her all about his inquiry? "Honda-san, hi", he managed a smile. "I will be a little late tonight because of meetings," Yuki spoke hurriedly. He didn't really want to see her right then. "But I think I should be there by dinner. See you later". Yuki ducked away quickly and was gone. Tohru couldn't help but feel funny about their encounter. She felt brushed aside somehow, and it left her with a tinge of worry for Yuki in the back of her mind.

That night after dinner, Yuki held his regular vigil outside of Shigure's office while Tohru was chatting on the computer with T-Bone. Kyo and Shigure watched television in the common room while Yuki tried to study in the kitchen. Well, he tried to appear as if he was studying. He was actually hoping to catch snippets of the conversation going on in the room behind him. This was difficult since it was rather cryptic in nature; mostly giggles punctuated with an occasional "Oh!" or "Ah!". Yuki felt like a fool, and had almost resigned himself to taking Hanna's advice when he heard Tohru exclaim from the other room and emerge through the doorway. She was blushing brightly, a sight Yuki was normally very fond of, but at this moment it made him do a slow boil. "Are you alright Honda-san?", Yuki asked, sure the tension in his voice would betray him. "Ah, yes, I'm fine!" Tohru answered quickly, obviously flustered. "T-Bone just said something to me that was very shocking!" she continued, placing her hands on her cheeks as she became aware of the color she was turning. "Would you like to share it"? Yuki queried. He knew he was being rude, but he didn't care. He was enraged now. Probably that reprobate had been lewd to her. The pervert! Yuki began to think up all the things he would do to this T-Bone when he got a hold of him. "Oh, no!", Tohru protested. "I promised I wouldn't tell!" she exclaimed. This only confirmed for Yuki that he was right, and he clenched his fists in anger. "No, it's a secret!" she continued, and backed away from Yuki quickly and into the living room. "Did she act a little afraid of me just now?", Yuki thought. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had done it now. He had pushed too hard, and now Tohru was avoiding him. What had her friends said to her? Yuki felt awful, but not as awful as he would a moment later. He heard Tohru's voice from the living room. "Shigure, may I go out tomorrow afternoon?" Kyo's head snapped to attention at this. He didn't really like having Tohru gone at all- ever. Shigure was always taken a back when Tohru made requests for days off as well. It didn't happen very often. She was very conscientious about taking care of the family. "Certainly Tohru, are you going out with some of your high school friends?", he asked. "Why not bring them by the house afterward? I would love to visit with them". A visit from high school girls would make his afternoon very enjoyable. "Well, I'm not exactly going with friends" Tohru hesitated. "T-Bone asked me to meet him finally. We are going out to lunch, and to a movie." Kyo felt his cat ears stand on end, and Yuki, who had wandered in from the kitchen grew wide eyed. They both looked at each other, to confer feelings about this, and then turned quickly away as they each realized it was their rival they were collaborating with. Tohru thanked him, giggled, shot a look at Yuki, giggled again, and then toddled off to her room. "What was that about?" Yuki thought. "Is she laughing at me?" "Oy, Rat boy!", Kyo called to him, breaking his thought pattern. "What you starin' at?" Kyo challenged. Yuki realized his eyes had followed Tohru up the stairs. He frowned hard at Kyo, and then went back to the kitchen to sulk. Kyo turned his gaze back to the TV.

On Sunday morning, Yuki was awake early, at least for him. He had thought long and hard about it, and decided the best plan of action for him at this point was to back off. He didn't own Tohru, and what she did in her free time was none of his business. This was especially evident after the way Tohru had acted towards him the night before. Yes, ignoring the whole situation was the best course of action for Yuki to take, but that was not the course Yuki had chosen. He was going to follow Tohru, and watch over the whole date. There was no way he was going to back down and leave her prey to this perverted, gangster, home economics student. Yuki had decided to stay at his base for the morning. He could watch from there for when Tohru left the house, and then follow her from a distance.


	3. Chapter 3: TBone or Rump Roast?

It was nearly noon when Tohru emerged from the house. Her hair was up in ribbons, and she had on her nicest dress. She had gone all out for her date. That much was obvious, even from a distance and it made Yuki all the more upset. He cut through the house on his way out in order to wash his hands and grab his wallet. On his way down the stairs Yuki bumped into Kyo who was pulling on his sneakers. "Where do you think you're going, rat?", Kyo snapped with an ominous tone. He rose to his feet slowly, never taking his eyes off of Yuki. "Out", was Yuki's terse reply. He didn't have time to get into it with the cat right now. He might lose her. "Are you going to follow her?" Kyo queried and took a step towards Yuki. His fists were clenched, and his eyes narrowed. Yuki thought about saying something flippant like "what's it to you?" or "so what if I am?", but instead he just said "yes" and took a step towards Kyo, meeting his gaze squarely. He had no intention of backing down. Kyo moved as if he was going to grab Yuki by the shoulder, and Yuki made ready to block, but instead, the cat stopped. Kyo dropped his guard and looked down at his feet. "Good", he said to the floor. Yuki wasn't sure he had heard right. Was Kyo, his arch enemy, agreeing with him? Kyo looked up at Yuki with wary eyes. "I can't follow her myself. I have to go to the dojo. Shishou just called. So I'm counting on you". Kyo looked sternly, but earnestly at Yuki. Yuki was shocked. He didn't know what to say. Kyo was asking for his help- his rival, the cat, who hated him more than anyone in the world- was counting on him? "But if anything happens to her", Kyo balled his fists up again, "I'm taking it out on your carcass, you damn rat, you hear me?" His eyes burned into Yuki, who was pulled back into reality by Kyo's words. "That is more like it" he thought. Yuki didn't speak, but met Kyo's gaze with just as much intensity. Then he turned and quickly left.

He thought he had lost her at first, but there were only so many ways to the main road, so Yuki caught up to Tohru with ease. She made her way to the train station, platform 3, and stood, obviously waiting for someone. Yuki hid behind a pillar, and waited. He could hardly wait to get a look at this guy who had haunted him for all these weeks. After a few minutes, no one showed and Yuki relaxed some. Was this guy not going to show? "Well, in that case," Yuki thought, "I guess it's a good thing I'm here. I mean, I can comfort Tohru, and help her to feel better". Yuki began to imagine himself consoling a devastated Tohru, and her gratitude to him for coming to her rescue. "This may turn out better than I thought", Yuki mused. He was jarred from his daydream by a familiar voice. "Yuki, imagine meeting you here- a mystery". It was Haru who had snuck up on him. Yuki's heart raced. "Haru! Get behind the pillar! Honda-san might see you!", Yuki hissed. What was Haru doing there anyway? Yuki grabbed him and pulled him out of Tohru's line of sight. "Why are you spying on Tohru?", Haru asked with a half grin. "Honda-san is meeting the worst kind of guy here on a date, and I decided to follow her". Haru's smile widened at this. "She needs protection" Yuki continued. "You know how naïve she is." Yuki was trying to justify his actions, to himself as well, and hoped Haru would agree with him. "You are so predictable" Haru chuckled, and a knowing smile crossed his face. Then he stepped out in the open where Tohru could obviously see him, and walked towards her. "Haru!" Yuki lunged forward and tried to grab him, but it was too late. Tohru spotted the two of them. She broke out in a huge smile, and waived emphatically from her spot on the platform- as if she were expecting them! Haru approached with confidence, but Yuki hung back. He was trying to think up an excuse he could give for having followed her. Tohru laughed delightedly. "Haru! You were right! He did come!" She chirped as Haru bent down and gave Tohru a peck on the cheek. She burst into giggles and threw her hands over her mouth at the sight of the approaching Yuki. He felt his face flush. She was laughing at him again. "Oh, Yuki, I am so sorry!" Tohru exclaimed. "I didn't want to trick you, but Haru wanted to play a little joke on you, and I played along." Tohru's eyes were begging for forgiveness, but sparkling with mischief as well. Yuki did not understand what was happening, and the look on his face showed it. What joke had Haru played? And where was Tohru's date? And why did Tohru act like she was expecting him? "Yuki, I'd like you to meet T-Bone" Tohru said as she gestured towards Haru. Haru just grinned. "What?" The truth began to dawn on Yuki. "You're T-Bone?" He stared at his cousin in disbelief. "That's right" Haru answered flatly, but kept grinning. "But," Yuki faltered. His thoughts were whirling as he tried to match his image of T-Bone to the real item. "You see Yuki," Tohru began, "Haru and I have been chatting all this time online, but he asked me to keep it a secret." Yuki tried to piece things together in his mind as she spoke. "Last night Haru bet me that if I told you I was going on a date you would follow me," she continued," I didn't believe you would care that much, but you did!" She giggled again. Tohru acted like she had won a prize. She was obviously pleased with the results of the joke. "I figure it's about time you took her out on a date", Haru interjected with a smirk. "So let's go. Rin is meeting us at the theater". Yuki felt a little foolish, especially at the thought of having to be tricked into a date. But he looked at Tohru. She was blushing, and smiing, and her eyes sparked at him so beautifully. She was so happy and so eager to go out- with him- not some other guy after all. He couldn't help but give up and enjoy it. "Alright", Yuki smiled, "I surrender", and he took Tohru's hand. She beamed at him, and gave his arm a squeeze. As they walked away, Yuki wondered what he would tell Kyo. "Oh well" he thought. He'd worry about that later. He turned to Haru. "So you're in home ec class?", Yuki asked? "Yup", Haru answered, "so's Momichi." "But why?", Yuki questioned. He really did want to know. "I think Momichi is there for the food" Haru offered, "but I just really like the company" Haru smiled. Yuki thought about that for a minute, and decided he hadn't been totally wrong, about T-Bone after all. Then Yuki's guilt about his jealousy overcame him again. "I owe you an apology, Haru" Yuki offered meekly. "How so?", Haru asked. "Well, I heard your alias, and I pictured some rough-type guy with chains and 'T-Bone' tattooed across his chest". Yuki felt a little ashamed. "Oh, I have the tattoo, but it's not on my chest." Haru smirked. He gave Yuki a knowing look. "But," Yuki stammered. "Exactly", Haru continued. "I thought about having them put rump roast, but that seemed kind a crass, ya know?" Haru smiled. Yuki stopped and looked hard at him for a moment incredulously. Tohru was seemed oblivious to the conversation which Yuki was glad for. He didn't ask any more questions. He was pretty sure he didn't really want to know what Haru was thinking after all.


End file.
